Composite package



April 21, 1970 L. c. DOUGLAS ETAL 3,507,416

COMPOSITE PACKAGE Filed May 22, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a 1 [-761 2 JNVENTORS LIVINGSTON C. DOUGLAS R/CHARD 5. ROHE BY M @2042, M

@Zdea/ d M A TTORNEYS April 21, 1970 DOUGLAS 3,507,416

COMPOSITE PACKAGE 2 Sheets$heet 2 Filed May 22, 1968 INVENTORS L/V/NGSTO/V c. DOUGLAS RICHARD s. ROHE BY W, 020%, me

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,507,416 COMPOSITE PACKAGE Livingston C. Douglas, Leonia, N.J., and Richard S.

Rohe, New York, N.Y., assignors to Colgate- Palmolive Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 22, 1968, Ser. No. 731,216 Int. Cl. B65d 11/16, 25/34 US. Cl. 21512 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A composite package comprises a relatively light weight hollow casing of predetermined external configuration and having an open lower end and an internal shoulder facing the open end. A fiat bottomed removable disposable container extends through the casing open end and has an upper external shoulder abutting the casing shoulder to limit insertion of the container into the casing so that the lower end of the container projects a predetermined distance beyond the casing open end to serve as a support for the entire package and at the same time provide a visible indicia bearing area for said package. The container preferably has a friction fit with the casing.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention relates to composite packaging of the type wherein an ornamental device such as a casing capable of being an attractive toy apart from the package is incorporated with a disposable dispenser container of some substance such as liquid soap. The combination is such that the casing and container are readily assembled and disassembled and, while in the package they contribute to each other functionally in that the container supports the casing in upright condition and they are held together by a frictional gripping arrangement. They are capable of independent use when separated.

Since the invention is intended preferably for packages to be used by children, the casing external configuration is preferably made attractive to them as by the slush molding of a known animal or like form.

While it is known to package containers within animallike configuration casings, such packages do not associate the combined casing and container in special assembly according to the invention hereinafter set out in the claims.

The main object of the invention is therefore to provide a novel composite easily separable normally upright package wherein an ornamental casing is frictionally mounted on a partially inserted container in such relation as to display both the ornamental features of the casing and an indicia bearing area of the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevation showing a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a mainly sectional elevation showing internal structure in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation partly broken away and in section showing another embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a section substantially on line 44 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a section substantially on line 55 of FIGURE 3.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The novel package of the invention shown in FIGURES l and 2 consists essentially of a container 11 and an ornamental hollow casing 12 in special assembly.

Container 11 is preferably an integral plastic bottle 3,507,416 Patented Apr. 21, 1970 having a flat bottom wall 13, an upright uniform diameter cylindrical side wall 14 of predetermined diameter and a shallowly tapered top wall 15 that terminates in an externally threaded dispensing nozzle 16 adapted to receive a closure cap 17. The juncture between the side and top walls comprises an annular upwardly facing shoulder region indicated at 18. The bottle carries a printed or like indicia bearing area 20 at its lower end.

Container 11 is usually filled with liquid soap or some substance to be dispensed. It may be the squeeze bottle type wherein the side wall may be flexed to discharge the contents.

Casing 12 is of relatively light weight plastic and has a predetermined ornamental configuration. The illustrated configuration is by way of example and not critical but is usually represented by a caricature of an animal of a type known to children.

Casing 12 is preferably a slush molded integral element of a vinyl compound or equivalent having flexible walls and open only at its lower end.

The body of casing 12 here comprises a larger diameter lower open end portion 19 and a smaller diameter closed upper end portion 21. Preferably the lower portion has an internal surface 22 that is generally frusto conical with the smaller diameter adjacent shoulder region 18. The larger diameter open end provides for ease in inserting the container within the casing. The internal size of lower body portion 19 is such that cylindrical container 11 will have a snug frictional fit within the body, sufficient to maintain the container and casing together so that a definite positive pull is required to separate them.

Insertion of the container 11 axially within the casing body is limited and arrested by shoulder region 18 axially abutting an internal annular body shoulder 23 which is so located as to insure that a predetermined lower portion of the container bearing the area 20 extends from the lower end of casing 12. This is an important part of the invention. FIGURE 1 shows the distance D between the casing internal shoulder region 23 and the lower open end as effectively equal to the distance between the shoulder region 18 of the container and the upper edge of indicia bearing region 20.

Thus in assembly the container 11 is thrust into the casing 12 until the shoulder regions 18 and 23 abut and this automatically completes correct assembly of the package which presents the attractive appearance of the casing configuration and at the same time displays the label or advertising material of area 20.

Since the casing 11 is of relatively light weight, the package, especially when the container is filled with a liquid, may stand erect from the flat bottom of the container and there is no tendency to topple. In practice the container when filled weighs more than the casing. The friction grip of the casing and container prevents any accidental separation of the package components, but permits ready separation at the time of use.

The novel package of FIGURES 3-5 consists essentially of a container 11 and another form of ornamental casing 24 in special assembly.

Container 11 is preferably the same as in FIGURES 1 and 2. The body 25 of casing 24 is tubular, ornamented externally to represent the animals body, and at its upper end the body has a decreasingly tapered neck portion 26 terminating in the closed upper end indicated at 27. Preferably casing neck 26 corresponds to the shoulder and neck of the animal, and the animals head appears at the closed end.

At its lower end the casing body wall may be formed with an annular head 28 the free end of which is turned inward to define an annular container gripping lip 29 of predetermined diameter. The inner surface 31 of easing body 25 may be of larger diameter than lip 29. The juncture of body 25 and neck 26 comprises an annular downwardly facing internal shoulder region indicated at 32. The upper part of the body starting with region 32 may be of smaller diameter than lip 29.

The external diameter of container 11 in this embodiment is substantially equal to that of the lip at 29, so that as the container 11 is pushed into casing 24 through the lip opening the lip will slidably but snugly pass the smooth surface of the container but will resiliently embrace it with a good friction fit to hold it in inserted position. Actually the diameter of the smooth exterior of container 11 may be slightly larger than that of lip 29 which is resilient enough to stretch during assembly, and it retains its grip on the container circumference.

Insertion of the container within the casing to complete the package is longitudinally limited by abutment of container shoulder region 18 with the casing internal shoulder region 32, and this is for the same purpose as in FIGURES 1 and 2.

During assembly it will be noted that air may be trapped within the casing 24 which causes no problem since the casing wall may expand and it is immaterial if some air escapes at the lip. A vent may be provided in the casing wall in either embodiment to permit escape of air. On the other hand it has been sometimes found useful in the FIGURES 3-5 form not to provide such a vent because the slight expansion of body 25 due to entrapped air seems to improve the friction grip at 29 and when it is desired to separate the casing and container for use of the container contents this separation may be aided by squeezing the top of the casing above cap 17 whereupon due to the effective lip seal at 29 the container may be slidably displaced like a plunger at least partially out of the casing. This latter is a novel effect that might be intriguing to the user as well as useful.

As in the earlier embodiment the casing 24 when withdrawn from the container, is available as a toy, and it may be replaced on the container after use as a secondary seal for the container contents, especially where the cap 17 may be mislaid or lost.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A package assembly comprising a relatively light weight integral hollow flexible casing of predetermined external configuration and having a closed upper end and an open lower end and substantially annular internal shoulder means providing abutment means facing in the direction of the open end, said casing extending above said shoulder means to form a hollow upper end structure of smaller external dimensions than the lower end of said casing, and said casing further having internal generally frusto-conical surface means diverging downwardly with respect to said shoulder means, a removable container extending through said casing open end and having external annular shoulder means providing an abutment for engaging said casing shoulder means to limit insertion of the container into the casing to such extent that the lower end of said inserted container projects downwardly beyond said casing open end to serve as a support for the entire package and for a predetermined distance to provide on the container a visible lateral indicia bearing area for said package, said container having on its upper end above its annular shoulder means dispensing means extending within said hollow casing upper end structure and having a substantially cylindrical body extending downwardly with respect to its annular shoulder means, said casing substantially wholly laterally enclosing the major portion of said container in the assembly, and said casing body being snugly slidably frictionally received by said internal casing surface means for holding the casing and container means in assembly.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,141,929 6/1915 Breubach 215-12 2,162,998 6/1939 Fisher 21512 X 2,802,593 8/1957 Slaughter 220-42 2,994,448 8/1961 Sepe et a1. 21512 427,643 5/1890 Wales 215l2 2,704,903 3/1955 Laughlin 21512 X FOREIGN PATENTS 357,678 10 1931 Great Britain. 412,609 7/1934 Great Britain.

MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

